Getting Better Every Day
by Lover's Angel
Summary: AU. Work in Progress. Kagome's a doctor at one of the best spiritual hospitals in the country. One day she saves an MMA fighter from the brink of death and learns what it really means to live. Inu/Kag (Currently on hiatus)
1. Atrovirens

Here's my newest work! Just kidding... I've been working on this for months so here is a final product of the first chapter. School is kicking my ass, so please be patient with me, and if you see any problems with the story, I beg you to leave me an angry comment about how I should fix it. Thank you.

Inuyasha belongs to Rumiko Takahashi.

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><p>"Focus, Inuyasha! Don't let this guy mess with you!" Above the roar of the crowd, Inuyasha was surprised that he could still hear his trainer from a foot away.<p>

He opened his mouth for some water, being sure to get close enough for the other to hear him with his weaker ears, "I'm trying! But this guy knows my moves before I make them. What kind is he?"

Miroku squeezed the water into his mouth, not letting the harsh tones get past his cool demeanor. "It said on the record that he is a standard type demon, just higher classification for his longer time and skill... But now that you mention it, I remember reading that he did use mind tricks to put his opponents on edge during a fight.

"And you are only now letting me know? What the fuck, Miroku!"

"It doesn't matter, you can still win this. Now get out there and teach Goshinki how a hanyou kicks ass!"

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><p>The rosary around her neck trembled as it always did when she got out of her car and started walking leisurely towards the hospital. There were always criminals and demons with awful intentions that made her rosary vibrate violently throughout her work day, but today it seemed to be different, as it settled down to a gentle thrum once she got past the sliding doors.<p>

"Kagome!" The beautiful brunette turned her head to the call, and walked briskly over to her boss at the side of the reception desk.

Starting with her usual smile, she responded, "Good afternoon, Kaede!"

"I only wish it were. I've been calling you for the past twenty minutes!" Kaede couldn't walk very fast for her age, but once she had gotten Kagome's attention, she waddled over to the emergency area of Shikon Hospital, already knowing her best SD would follow without a doubt.

Immediately shifting to doctor mode, Kagome scooted closer to the fast-paced elderly woman to read the clipboard in her hands. "What's wrong?"

The pair slowed down once they reached Kagome's office, allowing the mentioned to put away her things and change into her appropriate scrubs and work shoes.

Shiori came in a moment later, completely ignoring the wrinkled woman in the chair as she handed the coffee to Kagome, "Hey, Kags! You're needed in the emergency room right away. It sounds important."

"Most emergencies tend to do. Kaede told me the second I got in, but I haven't gotten the details yet. How bad must it be if you can't use a newbie?"

Sliding the clipboard across the desk while Kagome finished tying her shoelaces, Kaede sighed, "I haven't seen anything like this in years, child. I need my best Spiritual Doctor out there now."

"Demons? The demons have poisoned each other?" Movement on the laces slowed down as she absorbed what was on the page.

"Aye, that's why they aren't healing properly, and I can't let the inexperienced doctors deal with these patients, because there will be no patients left!" Again, she sighed, knowing what Kagome might say next.

"I'll purify them too, Kaede!"

"They can heal from a small shock, but what really needs your attention is at the bottom of the page, Kagome."

Her eyes scanned the paper, being sure to pay attention to the little details of the injuries written on the sidelines before looking at the large words written on the bottom.

Blood drained from her face as the meaning seeped into her mind, the word passing through her lips in a daze, "Atrovirens? Are you sure?"

"Positive. That's why you are the only person that can purify the green poison out of those boys without completely killing them."

Kagome stiffly got up from her chair, working her way slowly to the door. "How many are there?"

"Just two. Now make your way over there; Hojo will be waiting for you with the first patient," Her elderly voice sounded more weary than usual, as she looked at the younger doctor hopefully.

"Let's go, Shiori. It's going to be a long day."

"It's a good thing I got you a double shot," she winked at her boss, hoping to lighten the mood.

As they rounded the corner to the room that held the atrovirens patients, the door opened, and Hojo flung out, running to them maniacally.

"Kagome! Oh, thank heavens you're here!" He flung his arms around her just as she had lifted her hands to put on her mask.

After shrugging off the initial wincing, she lowered her arms enough to push him off gently, and lead the way to the room, "Yes, Hojo… Now, how are they?"

"We gave them both 30cc's of morphine to ease the pain until you got here, but it hasn't done much to help. In fact, we think it might be hurting the half-breed." By that time, they were standing in front of the two surgical tables, the room oddly cleared of all the typical commotion present when there were patients around. The howls and whimpers coming out of the two, however, was enough to make it feel as though the room was filled with injured dogs.

Both were already prepared in hospital gowns, and from the smell lingering in the room, she could tell most of the clothes they came with had melted. The one closest to her, the half-breed, seemed to be in worse condition than the full demon on the other side of the room. Though he was quieter, his cuts were bigger and some had gone past the lime-green stage and had progressed to the sticky black color found in any nightmare.

"Hojo, get Rita to anesthetize that wolf demon properly. I'll get to him once I finish this one. It may be well over two hours."

"For each?"

"Yes, now hop to it!"

Once he was out of her sight, Kagome turned to her almost forgotten assistant as she pulled on the gloves, "Shiori, you can leave now; There's no point in risking your safety."- The mentioned almost crashed into the door with how fast she turned- "But stay nearby in case I need something! Be sure to tell our D-level nurses and doctors to stay at least twenty meters away from this room at all times!"

The door had already closed behind the white-haired secretary, but after that last sentence rang through, her head popped back into the door way, "I thought this room had protective spells on it to cage in this kind of stuff?"

"Just in case I forgot how old they are and something goes wrong. Now close the door! I can't start if it's open!"

Instead of the usual 'thud' heard if it was closed properly, Kagome had to visually see if it was closed, because of the increased vocals of the patient getting anesthesia on the other side of the room. Hojo had come back with the anesthesiologist, and now approached Kagome from the other side of the room.

"Rita will leave once Mr. Kouga is asleep. She doesn't want another taste of your purification."

Even with his charming smile and the fact that he came closer to her side, Kagome couldn't help but to speak with a little bit of contempt as she addressed him. "I bet… Does that mean that you will be assisting me with them, Hojo?"

"You can call me by my first name, you know. And if there is another way to spend four hours with you, Kagome, you should tell me. You're always so busy…"

A sigh escaped her lips at first, but before it ended, she was sure it sounded more like a growl. "Not now, Hojo. Stay on that side of the gurney, and bring the tray in case I need anything."

She approached the other patient cautiously, allowing his youki to read her intentions and allow her to get close. When a demonic patient was that close to harm, the last thing they would want nearby would be a priestess.

It was a good thing she had worked in this type of situation for so long. "Mr. Taisho? I am Doctor Higurashi. I'm here to help you, but I need you to let me get close."

His tortured whimpering calmed down, and he gritted through his teeth the only word he could to question her, "Priestess?"

"Only to purify the poison, I swear."

A choked sigh escaped him at hearing her sincerity, and the hostility enveloped in his aura dissipated enough to let her through. There was little noise in the room now, as the full demon had reacted well to the sleeping aid, but she still bent down to whisper in her patient's ear. His pain might block out the information he would need to get through this.

"Listen carefully, Mr. Taisho. I am going to purify the poison out of you. Your youki will tell you to push me out again, but I need you to suppress that instinct, do you understand?" -He nodded vigorously, the pain making him writhe more than he was earlier. -"Good. Now this will sting more at first, but I will need you to hold as still as possible, to make that initial pain leave quickly. After that, it won't hurt anymore okay?"

Another nod, but it was accompanied by some hissed words, so his continued fight against the pain was evident, "Why…awake?"

"I can't see how far inside of you the poison has reached since it tends to stay on the surface, so I need you to tell me if there is some under a patch of healed skin or if I haven't purified deep enough. So I need you to tell me what you feel constantly when I start the procedure." Repeating the possible mistakes to her patient just brought out all the fears she had to light again from where she had buried them in the dark recesses of her mind, but he had to know them, even if all she wanted to do was forget.

Every second now was crucial, so she spared a quick moment to relax with a deep breath, and placed one hand hovering above his head, and the other over the middle of his chest. First to cause problems with this kind of poison was the brain and heart, and if he was strong enough, he could protect those once she had cleaned them while she moved on to the rest of the body. The best would be to start off easy, and only allow a small fraction of her power to steep through and begin purification. Once his body relaxed to the pain, and embraced it, she could channel more power to her hands, and help this go faster.

Her palms started to glow pink, and it took about four seconds for him to feel it. There were no sounds escaping his mouth to let her know, but by the way he completely stiffened and then shuddered violently a second later, she knew he was reigning it in. Shivers continued to flow through him for another few minutes until Kagome felt the areas cleaned out, and she moved both hands to the lower half of his face and neck.

She whispered to alleviate some of the tension covering them like a blanket, "Better?"

"Much…"

About halfway done however, all three of the conscious people in the room turned their heads at the sound of the heavy door opening and slamming shut behind them but no one was there. Immediately following that, the intercom in the corner next to the door rang quietly.

Looking down as apologetically sincere as she could be, she asked through the mask, "I'm so sorry about that. Hojo, will you please?"

Turning back to the tray, he pulled the headset for the phone over his head and answered. "David Hojo speaking... Of course not... Well that's stupid, how could a child get here without someone see—"

"Shippo!" The man on the gurney yelled out, and even though no one was expecting an answer, after a moment she heard a timid, "Yeah, Dad?"

Her patient growled lowly, "This ain't the time to play games, boy. Show yourself."

The air next to her vibrated for a moment, and then a little boy with brilliant red hair popped out with a leaf on his head. She jumped a little in surprise, but then immediately cut off the flow of her powers as this was clearly a demon child. The claws and fangs were to be expected, but this boy had the lower half a fox. Full blood kitsune with an inu-hanyou father? If she saw the two walking past her on the street, she might have thought this kid was stolen.

"He's right here. Send someone down to take him to the waiting room, please." Hojo clicked the button again and took the headset off. Since she had put her arms down, Kagome walked to the other side of the room, just realizing just how little movement she had gotten in that time. She hated spending time during a session, but she couldn't work on her patient while running the risk of hurting the child.

"I'm sorry, Dad, but I had to find out if you were okay." The little clawed hands wrung each other viciously, the sweat from his palms having spread to cover all the stubby fingers.

"Where the hell is Miroku? I told him to take care of you, not bring you here." For some reason, Mr. Inuyasha Taisho refused to look at his son while he talked to him. And even though it was obviously none of her business, it irked her to the core. Why was this man being so hard on his son when all he obviously wanted was to see if his father was being taken care of?

Shippo spoke again, this time a warm blush coloring in his pale cheeks, "He couldn't get in to see you and wondered if maybe my fox-magic would get me through the doors and find out if they were helping you... I didn't think the doctor would hurt me."

"She is a priestess, Shippo. She hurts you because we're demons, remember? And tell Miroku I'm kicking his ass once I get out. You should be at home, doing homework—" The nurse came in then, a butterfly demon from the children's ward, and soothed the atmosphere to the room so easily, that all she did was touch Shippo's back and he willingly turned to grab her hand.

"Thanks for being so quick, Lucinda. Be sure to deliver him to a Miroku…?"

"Nagasaki. The small Asian with a retarded looking ponytail. Be sure to tell him that if he comes back before I call him, he will be cut up into pieces so small, molecules will be jealous." Maybe he had a throat condition that made all his words growls; ever since the child stepped into the room, that seemed to be the only way he spoke.

Lucinda grimaced at the threat, but walked out with the child in hand silently, stopping only when he turned around to ask, "When will you come home, Dad?"

"Soon. Go do your homework, and stay away from Uncle Miroku's DVD collection. You don't want to end up like him."

That answer satisfied Shippo and he left with Lucinda, looking back at his father on the gurney the entire way.

Kagome walked back to her previous spot next to the gurney, stretching her back and arms on the way, unaware that Mr. Taisho's eyes watched her every move then went back at the door the instant her attention was back on him.

"I'm sorry. I was sure our doors had more security to prevent that." Apology not enough, she smiled bashfully, hoping that he would find her genuine and would not complain to Kaede.

He nodded, "It's fine. He's a smart kid for his age, that's all."

Other than the interruption, the procedure went on for about two hours, like she predicted; she would move her hands downward as she felt the body part she was on get cleaned of the malicious poison. She was generally very precise, but every now and then, he would tell her there was still some left on his shoulder or that there was a bubble trapped under his rapidly healing skin. Each time that happened, she would have to cut him open and expose the poison the purification, though he never made a sound during those procedures.

Just when she finished his feet, a soft snore brought her attention up to his face, where his ever-present grimace had morphed into a very peaceful expression. A smile lit up her eyes at the sight of him sleeping. She didn't notice how much, but Hojo did.

"Hojo, take him outside to Shiori. Make sure he gets a cool room. It might help if any flares come up, but I really hope I got rid of it all. I'll get started on waking up Mr. Kouga."

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><p>What do you think?<p>

Thanks for reading!


	2. Oh

You asked for more, you got it! Thank you to all who reviewed on chapter 1, because this story would not keep going without you! You are my muse. :D  
>I only hope you like it.<p>

Inuyasha belongs to Rumiko Takahashi.

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><p>The other patient, a full wolf demon that refused to go by anything other than his last name, was much less quiet during the procedure. He not only answered all of her questions as to how they both got injured, but kept up a constant flirtation that drove Hojo insane with jealousy.<p>

"So you two work for an MMA fight company, Mr. Kouga?"

"Sweetheart, now you're refusing to call me Kouga just to piss me off." His tone came out harsher than his expression, which had been nothing but a smile since his anesthesia wore off. "But yeah, that furball that I came in with was my teammate for the battle, and once the other two assholes—forgive my language, babe, but that's what they were- knew that they were beyond hope, they cheated and pulled knives and poison against us. One would cut us open, and the other shot poison into the scratches."

In the background, Hojo became redder and redder at every endearment Kagome took without comment, but stayed quiet at the face she made when he had interrupted earlier.

"Why didn't anyone stop the fight when they did that?"

"They tried, but anyone getting close got either a scratch or a mouthful of poison. Everyone else is lucky that they didn't get both." For one second, he lost the smile and looked away in remorse, though from what exactly, Kagome couldn't tell.

"Right, this type of poison is only harmful when in contact with internal tissues…" She was only thinking aloud, but this didn't stop Kouga from making her focus return to him.

"Since you're helping my with my insides, doc. You should let me return the favor and check out yours." _Wink._

Internally, she cringed at how tacky the pick-up line was, especially considering that she was removing the poison from a scratch right above his groin when he said that. But she was still interested in him and the man who came in with him. Kouga claimed they were both good fighters (himself being better than Mr. Taisho), but both of them were so intriguing in different ways. Kouga was just immensely flirtatious, and the attention did get to her on some level, but Mr. Taisho's lack of interest and obviously more complex past made her curiosity skyrocket. Maybe their medical records could explain something…

She smiled at him anyway, hoping he didn't catch any of her aloud thoughts this time, "I really don't think so, Kouga."

"It's unprofessional for doctors to date their patients, Kouga." This time Hojo's intrusion was welcome; her patient had to understand just how unwise it was for him to flirt with her while she was on the job.

"I can't just ignore the rules, Kouga. I can't date a patient."

He looked very sly in the next few seconds, his mind clearly on how to make the situation work.

"How about," he spoke slowly, almost tasting the words before they left his mouth, "If we met in a pedestrian setting outside of work, in a completely accidental way? Then I wouldn't be your patient, and it would be alright for me to ask you on a date?"

"I guess…"

"Kagome! Are you seriously considering dating a patient!" More than astonished, Hojo looked completely outraged, though maybe for different reasons than just a breach of protocol.

"Didn't you hear me, numbnuts? If I saw her on the streets again, then I wouldn't be her patient." He rolled his eyes at Hojo, looking more than a little annoyed and ready to land a punch on him.

"You wouldn't stalk me, Kouga, right? Because if I did see you at my house or wandering around the hospital building, then I would have to call the police. It's happened before." Another point of clarification: If he really wanted something to happen at this point, it would have to be purely coincidental, especially since Hojo was raising his guard against the situation.

"Nah, I couldn't stalk you even if I wanted to. I have a job, Kagome." Flashing a brilliantly fang filled smile, he might have been giving off an air of confidence, but a piece of her warned against him. Not like he was necessarily carrying evil intentions (her rosary didn't vibrate any more than it should), but more like he would hurt her in some way; this man had something different on his mind.

"Dr. Higurashi, Kouga. Let's not get in the way of formality."

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><p>If you're familiar with the series, then it should be easy to guess who their opponents were. Anyway, this was a small chapter mostly to explain what happened and introduce Kouga in a way I felt his character needed. I have about half of the next chapter done, but I need to know what you think so I can keep going.<p>

Thanks for reading.


	3. Checkup

I am going to be pretty busy, so I hope you'll be patient with me as the next chapter might not come for at least three weeks. Finals are coming up.

Inuyasha belongs to Rumiko Takahashi.

Enjoy!

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><p>The first thing that popped into his mind when he woke up was how damn bright the room was. Though of course there was the stench of medicine and overall illness floating through the room. Someone had the fucking television on, most likely watching some sort of comedy. The canned laughter almost hurt his ears. One thing he couldn't find a complaint for was that the room still had lingering traces of <em>her<em> scent…

"I think he's awake, Miroku!" That high-pitched squeal could only belong to one person, and even though he knew he had to take care of his duties… that scent just begged him to sleep for a while longer and dream.

"I don't think so, Shippo. He's not moving."

"I heard him sigh. And then he moved his head that way."

"People do move in their sleep, Shippo."

"He doesn't… Open your eyes. I know you're awake, Dad." What could have been an accusation changed into a plea at the soft whimper the little boy added to the end of his words.

His words came out raspy, almost sticking to the top of his dry mouth, "Turn down the lights, boy, it's too bright."

Sooner than it would have been possible for either Miroku or Shippo to turn off the lights, they softened enough for Inuyasha to open his eyes, and see that woman in the doorway, her delicate hand still on the light switch as she held his gaze.

"Better?" Her head tilted to one side as she waited his answer, and he remembered where she had said that before.

A smile fell over his lips at the memory before he could stop it, and answered just as he had then, "Much…"

Sparing a second to look at the visitors he had, she smiled and reminded them that visiting hours were over, and that she would take care of him while they were gone.

Shippo lingered by her feet, pulling gently on her skirt for attention. Kagome bent down to listen better as he whispered very softly, "He likes to read a bedtime story every night. I left his book on the nightstand."

"Alright. I'll make sure he reads it," she whispered back, allowing Shippo to leave with Miroku as she straightened to look over at her patient. His smile hadn't moved, but had just become softer since the boy spoke to her.

She returned the smile, walking slowly to the other side of the bed, never once breaking eye contact with her patient. "I'm Dr. Kagome Higurashi, Mr. Taisho. I took care of your nasty case of Atrovirens yesterday. Do you remember?"

"I remember. Now what do you need from me, Doctor?" He sat up as he spoke, not liking the height difference or the urge to pull her down to his eye level.

Having felt the same need to look him in the eye, she sat down on the chair next to the bed.

"I'm here to check-up on you, make sure I purified it all from your body. And I'm afraid I have some bad news, Mr. Taisho."

"Bad news first." His face became very somber in anticipation.

"The company that you work for sent your medical records, and according to them, you period of vulnerability is tomorrow night. So because of that, we're going to have to keep you until the day after at the earliest."

He jumped a little at the news, immediately going for a verbal attack, "Why? I thought I was fucking cured!"

She leaned back at his tone, knowing well enough that she could get hurt if he was as violent as his job gave him credit to be. "Well, the thing is, Mr. Taisho, atrovirens sticks to blood vessels and can slowly accumulate into a ball of poison after a few days. So even if your human phase weren't sometime soon, I would have had you come back when it accumulated so that I could purify it."

"So why do you need me here when I'm human?" He relaxed his posture against a pain that shot out from his back, and realized that he needed to relax.

"Well, just by being of mixed blood you held off the majority of the poison's effects long enough to get you to the hospital alive, Mr. Taisho. Any human would have died within an hour from that much demonic toxins. Demons can go for days with small amounts of the poison and not feel it until it gathers at one spot. So once you're human, you will feel the full effects of the poison again.

"I will be here personally throughout the night tomorrow to keep the toxins from damaging you; the only thing I need to know is when exactly you transform into a human, and then back into a demon."

"You will be the only one here, right?" Keeping his back straight, and his head held high, he gave off a huge amount of confidence, but in his eyes and his words, a trace of fright shone in the golden depths.

"I was going to ask a nurse to stay here with me, but if you don't feel comfortable with that, then it will just be me." Normally the idea of spending the entire night with a patient bored her to death and made her beg to switch shifts with anybody else. But since his medical records held little personal information, she knew this was the perfect opportunity to get to know him better. A small smile involuntarily rose from her cheeks.

"No one else, I don't want to feel like I'm gonna die or something," he paused for a moment, ears swiveling on his head as he listened for anyone nearby, "…Dusk till dawn is when I'll be human."

"Alright," she jotted the facts down on her charts, and then put it aside, getting up to get a better point of view for the check-up. "Now, have you been feeling pain anywhere?"

"Right here," he pulled away from the headboard, shuddering slightly at the cool breeze on his bare back. "Damn hospital gown…"

She leaned over, spying several quarter sized green spots along his shoulder blades glowing menacingly. "Oh my… I hoped it hadn't spread so much when I got here yesterday…" Turning around to search in the nearby locked drawers for a scalpel, she instructed him to turn over and remove the hospital gown, covering everything below the waist with the sheets.

"Now please try not to move. I'll have to make about seven incisions, so it _will_ hurt. But while I'm doing that, you should stretch your muscles to see if you can feel any more."

The first cut was made as she was finishing her sentence, hoping to catch him off guard. There was no definitive way of knowing whether or not he was expecting it, as his only response was a sharp gasp. It could have easily been from the pain or the surprise.

The poison oozed out slowly, so she moved her hand over the area and allowed her power to seep through, hoping it wouldn't penetrate his skin. He still had errant burn marks along his shoulders where her power harmed him. Either way, he remained as quiet as the day before. He would probably carry more burns for a few days, but since he didn't complain, she didn't stop until the incisions held only clean blood.

"Where else do you feel pain, Mr. Taisho?" Her hands drifted over to his lower back, when they stopped glowing pink; she rubbed the smooth skin along his spine, almost caressing.

He sighed, relaxing to her touch, "I'm still looking…" A part of him knew there was no purpose of her gentle touches along his back now, but the feel was so comforting, that no matter what her excuse would be, he wouldn't dare question it.

Her hands slowly drifted up, making sure to at least skim over every square inch of his broad back. Every fiber of her conscience was screaming at her to stop the unprofessional attentions to her patient, but then another piece of her, the kind that didn't speak very much told her that this felt perfect, like her hands belonged on him, touching his skin. Reaching his shoulder, she slowly realized that there was nowhere else to go except his ears, but getting that far would be pushing the clearly defined patient-doctor boundary.

Kagome pulled her hands away, surprised when Mr. Taisho groaned.

"…Umm…" His eyes shot open, only just coming to his senses as he turned over and sat up, making sure to keep anything below his waist covered. "You're done, right?"

"Yeah," she nodded, "Yeah, I'm done. Will you be needing anything else, Mr. Taisho?"

"No. Thank you, doctor." His words came out automatically, almost as though it was all he could say.

"Good. Then I'll be back to see you tomorrow. Good night, Mr. Taisho." She started to walk out the door, a blush warming her cheeks at the thought of what just happened.

When his hand reached out to grab her wrist, pulling her closer to his bed, and forcing her to look his way.

"Inuyasha, doctor. My name is Inuyasha."

He let her wrist go slowly, savoring the contact until she turned around and left the doorway to his room.

"Until tomorrow, Inuyasha."

Maybe she hadn't meant for him to hear from the hallway, but his ears twitched at the sound.

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><p>I haven't really had time to really look over and edit it, so if you guys find anything wrong, please leave an angry review!<p>

Thank you for reading, and for your wonderful reviews. I love them all.


	4. Duties

Hello everyone! The school year is over, I got good grades, and now I finished my newest chapter. I hope you like it. Sorry for the long wait. And while I'm at it, let me take a chance to thank you all for the gorgeous reviews. You are the reason I keep writing. Thank you for being my muse.

Inuyasha belongs to Rumiko Takahashi.

Enjoy.

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><p>When Dr. Higurashi stepped over to the nurses' station an hour before sunset, it was clear her newest patients had already become the subject of gossip on that floor.<p>

"No, Nadine, I'm telling you, Kouga was _totally_ hitting on me, I mean, he invited me to dinner next week," one in pink scrubs was gushing to her neighbor.

"Oh, whatever."

Kagome already knew better than to get involved in the nurses' gossip, though it was pleasing to know that she had gotten something right about Kouga. He was clearly more interested in the chase than an actual relationship.

An elder nurse spied Kagome reaching for Inuyasha's clipboard, not wasting a second to tell her how her patient had behaved without preamble. Just like always. "That boy's been sneaking out of his room all day, and a few minutes ago, he unplugged the camera in his room. Keep an eye on him, Kagome." With all the years she had spent taking care of patients, it was always a good idea to listen to old Roberta's advice.

She smiled slightly at the thought of keeping an eye on him all night, catching herself only after Roberta raised an eyebrow. Clearing her throat, she started heading down the hall to her patient's room, being sure to call out thanks behind her.

When she came into the room this time, Inuyasha was wide awake. His eyes were focused on a laptop screen, though his own expression was far from readable. For a moment, she just stood in the doorway, hoping not to bother him, and at the same time trying to pull something from the very stoic look on his face.

He didn't let her watch him for long. "Are you just gonna stand there all night? Because I can promise you this show ain't getting much more interesting."

His alertness surprised her, but she refused to show it, opting instead to walk to the corner of the room where the camera was and moving a chair to try and reach it.

"How about you just tell me why you disconnected the camera instead?"

"Nah."

That's when she sighed and turned around, crossing her arms in a disapproving manner towards her patient. The camera wasn't unplugged; its wires had been cut clean through.

"Mr. Taisho," She stepped down from the chair and sat down on it, crossing her legs along with her arms to keep an air of professionalism, "we need to keep the cameras working in this hospital for safety and efficiency. It's to help make treating you easier."

It took a moment of silence for him to answer as he turned off the laptop and put it away slowly, every second irking her as he didn't seem to react at all to her stern voice. Eventually her looked up at her and walked over to close the door, taking all the time in the world to sit back in his bed.

"I know what those things are really for, and I don't plan on suing you… Turning it off _is_ for my safety." A sigh escaped him as he looked at the window, obviously not caring to elaborate.

But there was no point in arguing with him since his attitude had changed so abruptly from the day before. Although, it was obvious why he had become even less personable than before and insisted on making sure no one saw him when he was vulnerable.

"Alright, Mr. Taisho. Then let's get started on your check-up before the transformation begins. Have you been feeling anymore pain like the kind on your back yesterday?"

They followed the same procedure as the day before, though he was face up this time, with several smaller glowing spots along his chest and a large one on his left shin.

Before she could even lower her scalpel to his skin, though, he wrapped his fingers gently over her free left hand, moving her focus from his abdomen to his face. The look in his eyes was strangely tender. "I thought I told you to call me by my first name."

Kagome smiled at him, hoping that maybe the blood rushing to her cheeks was hard for him to see past the tendril of hair that had fallen over her face. "Of course. Now hold still. I don't want this to hurt more than it has to."

Normally, after about two minutes that she would spend purifying an exposed area, the edges of his cut would burn a little until the blood would come out pure. But this time his skin didn't seem to be affected by her powers, though it did take longer afterwards for the cut to clot, so Band-Aids became necessary over the incisions where they weren't needed before.

Just as she was bandaging up the larger opening on his leg though, a strange pulse emanated from his body. Her jaw fell at the sight of his transformation. A black wash fell over his hair and coated his mane from top to bottom, at the same time shrinking the dog ears to replace with human ones on the side of his head. His eyes were closed when this happened, but when the pulsating stopped in the room, he opened his eyes to make contact with her own. They were a striking hazel brown that didn't fail to cut through her like his golden ones did.

"Are you done?" He asked arrogantly.

Kagome shook her head to come to her senses, barely realizing that she held a 'deer in the headlights' look on her face, "I-I'm sorry I was staring. It's just—"

"I meant with the purification."

"Oh. Then, yes."

Whatever he was thinking at that point he hid casually by clearing his throat and then grabbing the book off the nightstand.

Having her patient close off from her so quickly was a little expected, and she was happy that she brought her own laptop to finish the busy work that came with every patient. Though it occurred to her somewhat belatedly that she had to tell this guy if anything bothered or pained him, she had to know immediately. Inuyasha certainly seemed like the kind of guy that would withstand pain for far longer than needed.

"Inuyasha?" She murmured after taking a seat on the opposite end of the room, "You will need to tell me if anything hurts or even slightly bothers you, so that we can rid any excess poison before it can do any damage."

"Sure." He didn't even bother looking up from his book.

The next hour was spent in relative silence with only typing or coughing to interrupt. Every now and then, Kagome would get a serious urge to ask him a question that would only be amplified by peeking at him over the screen of her computer. He was just so different than any other person she had ever met before. His medical records revealed little about his past, family history, or personal details. There wasn't even a birth date, which confused all the nurses she spoke to. It was thick however, with x-rays of broken bones, ruptured insides, and past incidents centered on his human night. Though those were written long ago and had little to no detail. Every aspect of him carried thick levels of mystery.

"You really should stop staring at me. If you have something to say, say it." Again, he didn't even lift his eyes from the book, and Kagome was forced to admit that her eyes were very much not on the screen.

"Damn it. I thought I was being discreet." She closed her laptop, hoping that maybe if she lost her distraction, he would do the same.

He did, and then cleared his throat before speaking. "What do you want?"

"I want to know you. Getting to know who my patients are is important to me. No matter whom they are." That felt normal enough in her head, but when the words came out, the barely contained curiosity sounded pathetic to her own ears.

"Hmm, didn't get much off my medical records, and it's annoying you, right? Good story, though, I bought it for a while."

"It's true!"

"Oh, yeah? Prove it! Tell me something about the patient you had before Kouga and I came in." The growl was back in his voice, making the raise in volume feel more malicious than the intent behind the accusation.

"Her name was Rachael Diamond, a six year old from Denver. She was an active soccer player and had a parasite demon sucking out her life force. When she got here, she was cold to the touch and had less chance than you of surviving after I treated her."

The context of the words was enough to shock the anger right out of him, and he asked timidly, "Did she survive?"

Seeing him finally understand how important her patients were to her, she continued, "I almost lost her, actually. It took all I had to force the demon out. After a full day of sleeping though, she was well enough to go home. Yesterday was her birthday."

Inuyasha's reticent eyes were focused on her, almost like he was trying to see through her; reading her unspoken words intensely so he could make a decision. "Alright," he nodded, throat still sounding rough, "What do you want to know?"

She could have jumped right there and then in girlish squeals, but her instincts stopped her. He had been coughing and speaking oddly for far too long now. Then his hand reached up once again to rub his Adam's apple. That had to be the fourth time in the past hour.

"Give me a minute." There was not a second to lose. Before he could react, she was sitting next to him, cupping his neck closer to her face. It was glowing faintly farther beneath the skin than just a small cut to get to. "Damn it. I told you to tell me if something hurt you."

She pulled away, and panicked a little at seeing how pale he truly was close up.

"I'm not in pain." There wasn't any more force behind his words; it came out like a whisper.

"Maybe not, but you can't breathe," She hit the pager button, only a small amount of relief hitting her when Roberta answered.

"Yes?"

"Roberta, tell Dr. Fletcher to prepare for throat surgery. Mr. Taisho needs his pharynx opened up so I can remove all of the atrovirens there. By the look of it, he has less than thirty minutes until it closes up or breaks."

"I knew that boy would give you trouble tonight." Not much of a confirmation, but Kagome knew better than to argue.

With the help of a passing nurse, Kagome wheeled down a gasping Inuyasha as the glow on his neck become stronger every minute. While the nurse prepped him for surgery, Kagome and Dr. Fletcher washed their hands and donned gloves.

The pair of doctors entered the room; Inuyasha could barely tell which one was Kagome. He was losing so much oxygen that he was about to pass out. There was only enough air passing through his windpipe to gently whisper to her, "See you tomorrow." Then there was only darkness.

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><p>Kinda short? Maybe. I don't know. Would you guys prefer longer chapters? Either way, please leave me a review if you like it, hate it, anything. Thank you for reading.<p> 


	5. Discharged

Here it is! This chapter is twice as long as my others, because you asked for it. If it's not long enough for your tastes, then I'm sorry. But I'm pretty sure that's as long as I can make a non-introductory chapter.

Inuyasha belongs to Rumiko Takahashi.

Enjoy!

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><p>Kagome had not taken an 18-hour shift in over a year, and her body was not taking kindly to having to do so. But there was nothing to be done to help it, as Inuyasha had not allowed others into his room once since dawn broke. His youki simply did not admit anyone but Kagome to enter the room, and as a result, she had to stay and take care of post-op. Nurses came by often to give her tips and reminders, as she had never needed to do it herself.<p>

Aside from checking the healing on his throat, she continued looking for any more accumulations of atrovirens on his person. There weren't any more during the morning and the recuperation speed on all of his incisions was going well enough that all the bandages could be removed or replaced.

Now that he was no longer scrutinizing her every move, she found her focus sometimes drift from the work in front of her to the well-sculpted planes of his chest. There was no way to avoid it. Her fingers would pull off a Band-Aid, and then would stay there, feeling the muscle tense at her touch. She didn't allow herself to get caught up in the moment this time, as he could wake up at any moment and freak at seeing his doctor feeling him up. In the end, she took her time removing any Band-Aid as imperceptibly as possible to avoid waking him.

Oddly enough, however, Inuyasha didn't wake until 11am, when Kagome was replacing the gauze on his neck. He wasn't bleeding anymore, but the blood that had been left there caked onto his skin and she needed scissors to remove the thicker demonic rate of healing meant that he could at least talk though removing the stitches would have to wait for next week.

There wasn't any stretching or sudden yawning, he just opened his eyes and looked up at her. She didn't notice a thing. But he sure did feel the poking around on his neck. All of his instincts were screaming against it.

"What are you doing?" He growled and then winced at the pain that came with his words.

Kagome started at hearing his voice, and her hands slipped the sharp pair of scissors along the underside of her middle finger, tearing the skin open along the way.

"Oh! Damn!" At least there was enough gauze for him and herself.

"You okay?" He asked, slowly getting up while she went to the bathroom to clean off the blood and see the extent of her injury.

"I'll be fine. I'm sorry I startled you. How are you feeling?" It wasn't deep, just long, covering the entire length of her digit and stopping just above the joint. No permanent damage.

"You're bleeding a lot." His whisper came from a lot closer than normal, and she looked up at the reflection in the mirror to see him right behind her, looking over her shoulder.

There was now a heavy heat on her ear from his breath that made her shudder internally. The proximity was wreaking havoc on her thought process, but it was working just enough to notice that he had in his hands the bandages she had brought in case _he_ needed them. Ever so tenderly, he grasped her now cleanly cut hand out of the running water, and wrapped the bandage over her finger tightly to help the blood clot. She should have taken over and made him go back to bed, but with the way he held himself carefully behind her and hovered his chin just a little above her shoulder to get a good view at what he was doing… it awoke something in her.

Kagome hadn't been with a man in so long. This job required most of any social life she had before, and with that removed many relationships she had a few years ago. So now that this man was inciting her, as unintentional as it might have been, she felt a spark.

Her head turned slowly towards his face, watching the intense focus written there. There was no doubt in her mind that this was inappropriate, but she couldn't find it in her to care less in that moment.

She moved her free hand up to his cheek, hoping to move his attention.

Having just finished wrapping up her finger, he looked in her eyes, feeling more compelled by her stare than the touch of her hand.

"Thank you, Inuyasha." She whispered.

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><p>Every inch of him was just dying to get out of this place. He hadn't moved from the room in over 24 hours, and now that he was fully healed, his body was dying for some sort of damn movement. All the twitching his muscles were doing forced him to pace the room for the last hour, since the nurses reprimanded him the last time he went out. The worst part was that Kouga had not been given another check-up from Dr. Higurashi. Sure, he might have gone a little too far when he said that his groin needed her attention more than the glowing areas on his limbs, but that didn't mean he wanted to have sex. A blowjob would have been just fine too.<p>

That's when he smelled that nurse come in, squeaky wheelchair in tow. He liked her rack, but everything else about her was just not worth keeping communication for after the rendezvous they had the night before. Either way, he looked up with a large smile splattered on, knowing it always looked real to them.

"Hey there—" What was her name? He struggled for a second, trying to remember what she said it was. "Betty."

She giggled, "It's Rebecca, remember?"

"What? You don't want a nickname?" He may have messed up, but the trick was to sell his mistake anyway.

"Very funny. I have some good news though. You're being discharged since you're all better." She hinted at the wheelchair at her side.

The thought of leaving was elating, but not in a damn wheelchair. "Do I have to leave in that?" He didn't even try hard, and the statement was still dripping with disgust.

"Sorry, but it's hospital protocol. Now get in, your cousins are waiting for you in the lobby."

That's when it hit him, the scent of her blood. It was not close enough to smell well over all the others in the air, but much more than just a small paper-cut.

"Give me a sec, Rebecca." He went outside, ignoring the protests behind him as he raced down the hall. As he got closer, he could smell the mutt's scent mixed with hers, and knew that they were close. Turning a corner, and into the door he found them intertwined Inuyasha's damn hands all over her in the bathroom.

"Thank you, Inuyasha."

"Whoa!"

The two jumped away from each other so fast, anyone else watching might have sworn they were hit with a Taser. It took Kagome a second longer to come back to her senses. Much more time than Inuyasha needed.

"What are you doing here, wolf?" His volume was much more than he should have forced his vocal chords to go through, as they were not completely better yet, and he raised his hand to cup his throat.

"I just thought the good doctor here was hurt. So I came to make sure she was okay. But now I can see that all she needs is to get away from your sneaky ass."

"Kouga, Inuyasha was just helping me bandage this cut I got on my finger. See?" She lifted her left hand, shaking it slightly to pull his eyes there.

Kouga nodded, not moving his sight from Inuyasha, even as the nurse entered the room. Poor thing was out of breath from the sprint after her patient.

"There you are… I need to… take you downstairs…. now…" She tapped his shoulder to see if he heard, and his face grimaced at the touch.

Only Kagome seemed to understand that it meant Kouga had to leave now, but both she and Inuyasha smiled at the situation in front of them.

Taking a very deliberate step forward, Kagome placed a charged finger on Kouga's chest, and pushed until he gave and fell back into the chair. It didn't hurt, but the shock was enough to cause his momentary loss of balance. "It was a pleasure meeting you Mr. Kouga. He's ready to go now, Rebecca."

Rebecca nodded, and started to make her way out, when Kouga looked back and called to Kagome over his shoulder, "Don't worry, sweetheart. We can get coffee tomorrow. I still have your number." And just for added effect, since he never did anything half-assed, he winked.

Both were left eyes wide in silence as Kagome wondered where he might have got her number, and Inuyasha thought about what he had been caught doing. Ultimately, Inuyasha spoke up first.

"So you were gave him your number? I didn't think doctors were allowed to flirt with their patients." He could only whisper since the pain was still pretty strong, but he poured as much sarcasm as he could into his voice.

"Oh, please. Kouga doesn't have my number because I _don't_ flirt with my patients. I was just as professional with him as I am with you." Even though her insides were squirming under his denunciation, she learned long ago not to let it show if she could help it.

There was no way he could buy her act when her face was steadily getting redder. "I don't think what happened the other day during my check-up was very 'professional'."

"I—I handled that check-up like I do every one. I never flirted with you." This guy seemed to know how to push her buttons just right, and getting caught off guard was not something she could handle.

"So you give everyone a back rub?"

She closed her eyes, took a moment to count to three, and then looked back at Inuyasha's cocky smirk, now understanding how to control the situation. "Anyways, you came out of surgery just fine, Inuyasha. And if there are no more complications, I can have you released by tomorrow. For now, I have to go home and rest, so I'll send in someone to finish removing your sutures… Goodnight."

Not entirely knowing how she got out of the room without bumping against a wall, she headed back to her office to change back into her regular clothing and go home. It took longer than she hoped to change, as the exhaustion was hitting her sense of mobility hard, and her vision blurred a little more with every step. At the nurses' station, she told Roberta to have someone finish the job on Mr. Taisho, and after being forced to down some sugar to help get home, she left the hospital without a problem.

* * *

><p>An intern was the one left to tend Inuyasha, which left him very unhappy since the kid was so nervous he ended up nicking him and taking longer to leave than really tolerated. It just added to the anger building after Dr. Higurashi huffed away without getting the damn joke. He was just fooling with her is all! And for that a damn newbie left him worse off than when he came in.<p>

One thing that did bother him and simply refused to leave his mind like he wanted was the idea that maybe she _did_ flirt with Kouga. Sure, there had always been a rivalry between himself and that damn wolf, but women never seemed to be an issue (mostly because Inuyasha hadn't been seen with a woman in a long time). So what bothered him more? Seeing Kouga go after the first woman he found intriguing in a long time or just the idea that she might just be interested in other men? And perhaps more importantly, why the hell did he like this woman over all the others that had come and gone for the past seventy years? Although, she did resemble… Never mind. He couldn't take memory lane right now.

He spent the rest of the day resting, and if his mind drifted back to the doctor, he just pulled out his book or laptop and forced himself to get back to his favorite characters or read the latest news. No matter how senseless his thoughts were getting, watching the human press go crazy over a Congressman's infidelity was always an interesting scandal.

The problems came the next day, when he was given a last check-up by two incompetent doctors that claimed to be as good as Dr. Higurashi, and then burned his skin about an inch in diameter for a cut half that size. There was no use fighting with them over sending Kagome instead, because they insisted she wasn't coming in at all that day. At least the dumbasses were able to do their job at all considering the fact that he didn't die at their attempt to purify his skin.

By noon, he was declared healthy, and ready to go. His body had been removed of as much atrovirens as possible, and scar on his neck was still an angry red, but healing quickly enough to not have much pain when he yelled at the doctors earlier for their incompetence.

Oddly enough, that was when Dr. Higurashi came in. From top to bottom, she looked completely different from doctors he was used to seeing. Not wearing a lab coat or scrubs like previously on her, but a simple yellow sundress with a sinfully plunging halter top. Her hair was off of the ponytail, and flowed down to her waist in beautiful waves. It was such an innocent, yet sexy side of his doctor that he wished to have seen before.

"Where the hell have you been?" His earlier treatment left him severely lacking much patience at the moment.

She cocked her head to the side, looking very confused, "Didn't they tell you that this is my day off?"

"Well, yeah… But you left me with two dumbasses that burned my skin to a fucking crisp trying to get the damn poison out."

"I'm sure they tried their best," she took a seat on the chair across the room. "It isn't easy to purify poison off a demon and not leave some mark. I know I burned you too." The look in her eyes affected him more this time, and it took a minute to notice that her makeup was different. Heavier than before, it made the brown of her irises more intense and easy to hold his attention. It took him a while to remember what he wanted to say.

"They were saying some stupid stuff about that not being their field or some shit. Just what kind of doctor are you anyways?"

"Peritiologist. Doctors tend to focus on either human or demonic medicine. But my field is about the interaction and potential of the two. I work with patients and doctors with lots of problems and questions. It just involves knowing a little bit about everything and applying it to what I know. Most people just refer to it as Spiritual Doctor because that's what it used to be called. Every now and then familial situations get to be too complicated for other doctors, so I have to act as family physician too."

He nodded slowly, trying to understand it all, "Okay… Now tell me what you're doing here on your day off."

"Whoa, hold on a second. I'm not just going to play twenty questions with you if you won't reciprocate. I never got to ask my questions."

He didn't even bat an eyelid at her little accusation and glared at her, hoping to wear her down like all the other girls had before. It didn't even take long.

She got up and moved to the chair closest to him and clasped her hands on her lap, almost looking like she was holding on to herself. The awkwardness came a moment later, when she leaned towards him and murmured under her breath, "I'll only tell you why I'm here if you promise to answer my questions, Inuyasha. It's only fair."

Furry white ears twitched trying to absorb the words coming through from all sides, and he could pick up enough to know he would win if he held out long enough. But there was no way he could avoid promising her too much if he looked her in the eyes, so he peeked at her with a sidelong glance and whispered back, "I guess you'll just have to answer if you want to know anything more about me at all."

"Alright, I'll play your little game, but only because I'm convinced that you'll come back soon enough."

"Oh, yeah. And why is that?"

"Because I have to remove your sutures and check for atrovirens next week."

"Now will you tell me why you're here?"

"I wanted to be sure that you were leaving today in the best condition possible, and maybe, just maybe, I hoped to talk with you a little and get to know you better."

"That's all I needed to hear." He leaned forward a little and looked past Kagome to the nurse standing in the doorway, "You can come in now. I need to get out of here."

Poor Kagome was left slack-jawed at his ability to play her. But she fixed that as soon as she could, because there was no way her ego would allow his to see her caught off guard. Instead, she stood up and walked over to Jenny.

"Jenny, why don't you let me take Mr. Taisho?"

The other two people in the room raised an eyebrow each. Understanding that there was more than what she could see, Jenny let go of the wheelchair, but refused to leave without taking this opportunity to ruffle Kagome's demeanor.

"Sure, I can tell you two need some more _alone time_."

Great, another person caught her off guard. Jenny left without a problem though, and Kagome pushed the chair towards Inuyasha, as he got off the bed. He had to leave in his hospital gown as the atrovirens had burned off his clothing, and the only time Miroku had come to visit, he forgot to bring a change of clothes. At least the back had closures, so he didn't feel exposed.

The trip downstairs was silent, mostly because Inuyasha didn't feel like getting accused for playing with her, though he couldn't even deny it. Kagome just didn't like the thought of having an argument with her most interesting patient just as he was leaving.

In the lobby, Shippo and Miroku were waiting patiently for Inuyasha to come out of the elevator. Being in a wheelchair was expected, but the way their eyes widened to the size of dinner plates once they saw who was helping him out was priceless.

"Well, well, Inuyasha. Who is the beautiful woman that had the misfortune of pushing you around?" Miroku didn't spare a second and raced to Kagome's side, leaving as little room between them as possible.

Shippo took a different approach by simply pulling on her skirt and asking loudly, "You look nice. Why didn't you wear this before?"

Seeing as she was being enclosed on all sides by males, she stopped and decided to address the more innocent question first, "Because I'm not a doctor right now, sweetie. It's my off day. I just came by to make sure your dad was all set to go."

Inuyasha turned himself around and relished the completely stunned look on Miroku's face. "Hey, lech, you remember Dr. Higurashi?"

The man couldn't say anything for a moment and just flapped his jaw up and down a few times while Inuyasha snickered. The differences between the carefree woman giggling at Miroku's shock and the professional that tended to his dire situation were astounding. She was beautiful either way, but with conventional attire there was a more approachable aspect to her demeanor. Every single bit of it was intriguing to Inuyasha.

In that moment, his ears picked up on a very familiar voice. Inuyasha didn't even bother to turn his head; there was no point in acknowledging the person's presence though when he never cared for it from his half-brother anyways. What was very interesting was the conversation he was having with the Chief of Medicine…

"Dad, can we go now? I want you to help me with my history homework," Shippo's whining was clearly overdone.

Inuyasha looked up at Kagome, trying to see if she had noticed the important conversation on the other side of the room or not. "That depends on what the doctor says."

Just on time apparently, as his words pulled her away from searching the room for the source of the ascendant aura. However, she didn't forget to smile as her gaze fell on Shippo and Inuyasha. "You should be fine, Inuyasha. Try not to forget your appointment next week." The very hesitant reply did not go unnoticed, but in that moment, the deal on the other end of the room was confirmed, and both parties left.

"Great. Let's go, Miroku." He stood up from his chair and walked out with his friend and son in tow, making sure not to look back on the woman that had taken care of him. Part of him knew that he should have at least said thanks, but there was really no point to it now. Sesshoumaru had taken care of it.

"Mind telling me exactly what happened back there, my friend?"

"Just get me home, Miroku. You'll find out soon enough."

* * *

><p>The next week was a calm one for Dr. Higurashi. Well, except for the drug addict that thought he could pull a fast one on her and was dragged out the door by police instead. But even the slower days had to have something interesting. Like the demon fighter that rolled into the hospital and refused to leave her mind since.<p>

Horrendous circumstances brought him to her attention, but she was hoping it was only the mystery surrounding every detail about him that held it. Though the dog ears, long silver hair, and sexy body certainly was noteworthy…

Damn it! He stole her train of thought again. What was she looking at? Oh, right. Her schedule for the next week. The Martinez family, ER work, Taisho, guest lecture at some medical school, Taisho, meeting… Wait.

"Shiori, did you book 'Taisho' twice?" The little secretary may have been on the other side of the wall, but her open door policy made contact with her much easier

A shout came back through the doorway, and Kagome was sure that Shiori would be looking over the schedule simultaneously, "Check your email. Kaede sent me one to put it in, and told me not let you blow it off for any reason whatsoever."

Sure enough, it was in there.

_Kagome,_

_Great job with the atrovirens patients the last week. One of the Hospital benefactors noticed your work and asked if you could tend to their family from now on. Consider this an opportunity to prove yourself, since they are hard to deal with. I sent up an appointment to meet them for this next week. _

_You know better than to mess this up. Good luck._

_Kaede_

Maybe she was lucky and it wasn't the same Taisho family as Inuyasha. There were others in Denver, right?

* * *

><p>Peritiologist- made this field of study from the latin word <em>peritia<em>, meaning skill or ability.

I might take a while to post the next chapter since I have a oneshot that I've been working on for about a year and a half. I need to get it out.

Anyways, will you tell me what you think? Be brutal. Thanks for reading. You guys are my inspiration.


	6. Family Ties

WHAT IS THIS? A NEW CHAPTER? Yup. Consider it a Christmas gift. Finals are this week, and I finally found some time to finish this damn chapter. Longer in some ways, so I hope you all enjoy.

Inuyasha belongs to Rumiko Takahashi.

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><p>As Kagome pulled into the very long driveway leading to her patient's manor, she remembered why she didn't like making housecalls and decided against it when given the option. Being in someone else's home to treat them brought all of their life to light harshly. And when one is a doctor and surrounded by illness, knowing little about them was better if they were soon to die. Attaching yourself emotionally by connecting just made it harder if they did 'pass on' during your watch.<p>

But there was no other option this time. Mr. Taisho (mostly his secretary), had insisted that she come to his house and treat the child there. Anyone else and the answer would have been 'no', as it was initially. Then Kaede heard about the situation and ordered Kagome to comply. This man was a member of the Board, after all, and a housecall would be no problem.

Just then, she reached the entrance to the mansion and parked before the concrete staircase. They both exited the car, the assistant holding the doctor's bag and handing Kagome her lab coat to put on as they met at the front of the car and walked together.

Shiori didn't say a word as they climbed the stairs to the front door, for once not giving her first impression about a situation to her boss. There was just something ominous that the building had, the very presence inside was something formidable.

After ringing the doorbell, the two heard some arguing, but immediately followed by a little green demon opening the door for them.

"Which one of you two is Dr. Higurashi?" He asked accusingly.

"I am," Kagome said, then raising her hand to point to her companion, "and this is my assistant, Nurse Shiori. Are you Mr. Taisho's secretary?"

"Yes, you may call me Jaken. Now follow me to the child, she is getting worse." The little imp began to walk away, and the two followed after him, their heels clacking loudly on the hardwood floor.

Every corridor seemed to be longer than the last, with only a few doors on every side. Because it was a demon's residence, Kagome assumed it would be dark and have tones of a previous century in its decoration. But it was the exact opposite: feeling very open and airy with its wide windows and surprisingly modern furniture. What's more, the overwhelming aura they had both felt outside was more withdrawn now and held no aggressiveness to it. In fact, there were two strong auras inside the house but both felt very neutral and somewhat familiar.

Once they slowed down for the last turn, the three stopped at the sight of a silver-haired figure pacing in front of a pink door. He halted mid-step as he raised his head, a very angry expression set on his face until he saw the doctor and calmed down a bit.

"Inuyasha will brief you on the child. I have to go tend to Mr. Taisho, so do your job well, doctor." Jaken ran away at that point, somehow finding a way to trip over his pants halfway down the hall.

Kagome smiled at the familiar face once the toad was out of range. "Hey."

"Hey," he smiled back, taking a moment before clearing his throat, "umm, Rin is in there. What do you need to know?"

"What are her symptoms and when did they begin to show?"

"About a week ago she came home and said she was tired. Her sitter says she took a nap and didn't wake up until noon the next day, no matter what anybody did. Then she went running to my brother, screaming like hell. He knocked her out and she hasn't woken up since. She's a human, do you need to know that?"

Her eyes almost popped out of her head at the last statement, but with a moment to focus her thoughts, she controlled her surprise. "Okay, sounds like a low-level demon possession and possible energy drainage. She must be a strong child if she hasn't let the demon take over her actions a second time. Shiori, go ahead and start prepping the child for Pen-three procedure."

The little assistant nodded, picking up the doctor's bag and walking into the room.

"Hey, is there any way you can capture the demon you purge into a jar?" Inuyasha asked, relaxing back to lean against the wall.

"Depends… Do you have a jar?"

"It's on her nightstand."

"Okay then." It was then that Kagome turned to open the door to the child's door, moving her head before she stepped in to address Inuyasha once more, "Would you like to come in? It's not a pretty sight, but I'm sure Rin would appreciate seeing family in there."

He followed her in, mumbling something beyond her hearing, and Kagome quickly told Shiori of the change of plan, eyeing the sleeping girl on the bed cautiously.

"Kagome, if we're going for a Faerie procedure, you need to set up a circle so it doesn't escape." Shiori remarked, pulling out a slim, black box and handing it to the doctor.

"I know, Shiori. Mind being the catcher? The jar is on the nightstand." She pointed the other side of the bed and then began to place the barrier wards around the bed.

There was something that unnerved her, but it wasn't until after she had set the barrier around the bed that she noticed what made her so anxious: it wasn't every day that a family member watched her do her work. And worse than that, it was a man that intrigued her. Part of Kagome was just so insecure about the work she was doing and almost double-checking every single detail when she thought he wasn't looking. Then there was the other side of her that was insistent on being confident in front of Inuyasha more than just for the sake of self-esteem. There was just more that was set on impressing him, and she hoped that didn't make her careless when she couldn't afford a mistake.

"Did you get a feel of where the demon was located?"

Shiori sighed, injecting the little girl with a small amount of morphine, to be sure that when she awoke, there would be as little pain as possible. "I wasn't able to pinpoint it exactly, but I'm guessing it is somewhere near her stomach. Next to the liver?"

"Okay, so he's tapping into her nutrients and is probably slowing down blood flow to the rest of the body. I'm ready to start the procedure. Are you?" The shaking in her hands became more pronounced once she placed her hands on the child's belly, but with a deep breath, she was able to relax enough to focus on the task at hand.

After picking up the jar and placing it within arm's length, Shiori nodded to the doctor, keeping far enough away to not be affected by any errant waves that could escape through the child's body. Kagome could feel the demon in the place Shiori had described and decided that maybe the best way to restore some strength to the child and force the demon out would be to allow the purifying energy to flow along the bloodstream. If she calculated it well enough, when Rin awoke sometime the next day, she wouldn't feel any weaker than if she just had a simple cold. About ten minutes later, Kagome could feel the demon squirming under her skin and amped up the power to force him out, but not enough to kill him.

In that moment, Kagome could feel the little devil bury himself deeper into the organs to avoid the direct heat of her powers, so she kicked it up a little more, instinctively knowing that he had not infused enough of his youki into the girl to hurt any part of her. It took more concentration and time, but eventually he pulled away from the doctor's line of sight and out through Rin's hip, leaving a slimy trial in his wake. He was fast though, and Kagome could not catch sight of him until he had already fallen off the side of the bed. Fortunately, he hit the barrier made from the wards and was left disoriented enough for Shiori to trap him in the jar, making sure to close the lid up tight.

It was a snake demon, a vicious one that would not stop baring his fangs threateningly and striking the glass in Kagome's direction.

Inuyasha didn't spare a moment once he saw the demon that had been causing Rin's illness to dial a number on his phone. He exited the room with the very same solemn expression donned the moment he had entered the room a good half hour or so earlier.

Meanwhile, the women left alone in the room released a breath they unknowingly held and quickly began to put their equipment away. Kagome spared a moment after disposing her wards to check on the sleeping girl. Color was returning to her pale face and the once shallow breaths she had been taking were deeper, stronger. The differences between Rin initially and now were noticeable and relieving. But if she began acting weird a week ago, why wasn't she or another physician informed and sent earlier?

Inuyasha walked in at that point, not exactly smiling, but at least in a better mood than when he left. Until he locked eyes with Kagome and furrowed his brows.

"Rin is building up her strength, she should wake up without a problem tomorrow. Try not to give her too many sweets, just healthy food for a while. The demon drained her reserves quite a bit." She was rambling. All that she was saying was important, but just the way that she was saying it sounded winded. After clearing her throat, she turned to face Shiori, "Are you ready to go? Our job is finished here."

"Actually, Rin's father wants to talk to you. So Jaken's right outside the door to take your assistant home or wherever."

"Well, ummm… alright then. Shiori you can leave the bag with me so you can go straight home. We don't have any more appointments today, right?" She reached for the doctor's bag in her assistant's grasp, avoiding the already urgent look in her eye. Yup, there was going to be some gossip calls tonight.

However, Shiori knew when to leave without a fuss and promptly followed the little man down the ornate hallways.

The two seemed to wait a moment in silence, probably to let the others go far enough away to not be heard. Then Kagome walked over to the jar Shiori left on the nightstand and handed it to Inuyasha.

She smirked at him. "You know Inuyasha, I had a feeling I would see you soon."

"Really?" He didn't smile back, but the sparkle in his eyes made his playful mood evident. "Could it be because my appointment's tomorrow, or because this one was made under the same family name?" Taking the jar in one hand, he opened the door for her with the other, and proceeded to lead the way.

"A little bit of both, I think. But it was misleading that you aren't listed as family in my care in the paperwork I was given."

"I'm not? Big fucking surprise. Sesshoumaru hates acknowledging me as his brother. Keh." He rolled his eyes, and occasionally allowed them to pass a glance at the doctor walking by his side.

She was stunning. With the lab coat on the professional look she carried was ensured. And underneath she wore a knee-length, solid blue sundress. The scoop neckline was very appropriate and covered her nicely. Fortunately for him, his height allowed for the perfect vantage point at that distance to look down the neckline and catch a glimpse of the tops of her breasts. Though it was best if his sight didn't linger…

Her waving hand got in the way of his view. "You really should watch where you're going."

"Right." He shook his head to clear the last thought and get back to the conversation.

"As I was saying… I thought his name was Kane. That's the name on the paperwork."

"The old fluff ball has been around for so long, his real name is too old. So he uses a new alias every few years to keep up with the times."

"Now what about you? Is Inuyasha your real name?"

"Of course it's my real name. I don't always use it though. Here we are," Inuyasha opened a very portentous door that Kagome had to admit she hadn't noticed with such an interesting conversation and visual holding her attention along the way.

The instant he opened the door, a split second happened when the youki coming from within staggered her. It was immense and menacing to a dangerous degree on her aura. It was only a second later that it subdued to a more normal and bearable intensity. Kagome was left stunned for a moment until Inuyasha's voice cut through the fog.

"Was that shit necessary? You just shoved your aura on the doctor that fixed Rin, asshole!"

"Relax, animal. She is fine. Come in, Doctor Higurashi."

Walking in was less stressful than opening the door to the very prestigious looking study, and sitting at the end behind a mahogany desk was the subject of the earlier conversation. This demon had the same silver hair as Inuyasha, but cut short into a professional and very modern haircut. He had his focus on the computer on his right, but faced the pair as they entered the room, standing up to offer the young doctor a hand.

She took it gracefully, smiling in what she hoped was a polite enough manner. "Hello, Mr. Taisho. It's a pleasure to meet you."

"Likewise, Higurashi. I am content with the treatment you delivered to my ward." He didn't smile back at her, but retained a stoic demeanor that matched the designer suit he wore. "I am not aware of how busy you currently are, but if you would like a seat, you may."

"No thank you, Mr. Taisho. I am not currently busy, but I do have to be on my way soon. Before I leave, however, I would like to give you a prescription for Rin." She took out a pad of prescriptions with a pen from her lab coat pocket, writing out a few phrases and tearing out the sheet. "This will allow you to buy a rosary necklace from the specialized pharmacies. Most rosaries are not available without a prescription anyway, but the one I wrote down here is different because it will only repel jyaki or any demonic youki with evil intentions."

"Indeed… I'm sure she will make use of it. Inuyasha, make yourself useful now that Rin's caretaker will be here soon and help Dr. Higurashi find the door." He sat back down and went back to the business on his computer without a second glance or another word.

Kagome began to open her mouth to say goodbye when Inuyasha interrupted her and helped her out the door with a hand on her back. "Yeah, yeah. I have to go pick up Shippo from school anyway. I'll see you next week, Fluffy."

It was probably beyond her hearing capabilities, but as they left the study, Sesshoumaru growled a low warning to the pup that would dare mock him with an old nickname.

Leaving exasperated about the very abrupt visit with her newest sets of patients did not work well with her usually. But the reason tended to be because she had another appointment or because there would be another sit-down scheduled with the family later; this one was the oddest visit since it was short by her patient's choice. Kane (or Sesshoumaru) clearly didn't want to deal much with her, and after this visit, it most likely wouldn't be necessary. The aura he gave off was one that meant he had centuries on earth, so he wouldn't need a doctor for himself. Knowing that his ward was under good care was maybe the only reason he even ordered Kaede to take him into account.

Anyways, it was better to leave this case alone, and go home to finish going over her notes for the lecture she had the next day. So she followed Inuyasha down the halls again, only wondering slightly at why he had called his older brother Fluffy.

"Hey, now that I know that you give housecalls, what are my chances of not having my checkup at the hospital?" He wasn't being entirely serious with his question since he knew the answer, but ruffling her a little was still entertaining.

"Slim, considering the fact that I see you walking. I don't do housecalls very often. I didn't really have another choice with Rin, though; your brother was very adamant that I come."

"Sounds like something the bastard would do…"

They walked in comfortable silence for a while, both of them trying to find the easiest way of asking the question on their minds. It took a moment to gather herself, but Kagome got enough courage to speak up first.

"I don't mean to be rude, but would you mind telling me—"

"Wanna grab some coffee?" He stopped in his tracks as he interrupted her, trying to read her eyes and take away her focus from the question he knew she was going to ask.

It worked. Kagome made eye contact and lost her train of thought, only remembering his question and the very warm feeling looking in his eyes gave to her. "Umm… Right now?"

The little anxiety he could pick up off her added to his own, but there was no way he could back down from his offer when she hadn't exactly given him a 'no.' Besides, the look in her eyes spoke of so much more than nervousness, there was genuine excitement there that he did not know where it would have stemmed from besides his question.

"Yes now, unless you lied about not having any more appointments for the day?" He said, raising an eyebrow in demand.

That worked well enough to fluster her. "No, I don't lie. But I was hoping to go back and review my notes for a lecture I have tomorrow."

"Is it done?"

"Yes, but I do have to make sure I have the slideshow in the right order, and that I phrased my information—"

"Sounds like an excuse, doc." He grabbed her wrist in his hand, dragging her from the main entrance that she probably hadn't even noticed was to their right since he stopped, to the parking garage a corridor to their left. "Let's go."

"Wait!" Pulling her hand from his grasp to remove her coat and hang it over forearm, she didn't notice the way his face fell the instant her hand left his. "Can I put my things back in my car before we go?"

Fast reflexes helped to remove the grimace from his face before she looked back up at him. He smiled back at her instead, glad that she hadn't turned him down after all. "Sure, but we're going in my ride."

It only took a few minutes to lead her to the front entrance and back to his motorcycle in the garage. Oddly enough, what surprised him the most was her lack of complaint when he sat on the bike and gave her his helmet. Most professional women like her tended to freak when he took them out on his motorcycle. And of course he could have just taken one of Sesshoumaru's toys to take her out with since his car was back at his apartment, but finding out if a girl liked speed and a little adventure proved to be necessary where he was interested. Hopefully Kagome would like to have fun as much as he did.

She took her seat behind him, wrapping her arms around his torso tighter than she should have, but it wasn't like he was complaining.

"Ready?"

"Let's go."

Kick-starting the engine, he pulled the front wheel in the air for the exit, enjoying the way her grip on him and the bike tightened. The tension around him lingered well after he drove carefully away from the mansion and out to the more hustling areas of Denver, though Inuyasha didn't dare point it out. There were many times when he forgot to pay close attention to the road and enjoyed the warmth against his back from her chest, or the little movements her fingers made when she would clench his clothing for a better grip. However, his enhanced sight and reflexes more than made up for it when his attention was deviated from driving, so she never noticed when they almost hit the pavement.

It was about 15 minutes later that he reached a perfect parking spot in a small street near to a café he had seen before while going to pick up Shippo. It would be the perfect place to wait for him, so he placed the kickstand and waited for her to loosen her hands from the fists grabbing his shirt.

She took off her helmet, but didn't move from her position as Inuyasha got up from the bike and offered her his hand. "I thought you needed to pick up Shippo?"

Damn. He knew that her dress had hitched up her thighs to get on the motorcycle, but… that delicious expanse of skin he saw was sinful. It was dangerous to be caught staring down at her though, as memory served to remind him. At least her eyes were equally, if not more pleasant to look at, so he moved his gaze up just in time to meet with hers.

"I am, kinda. Shippo learns enough about kitsune magic and regular subjects in the building, but I make sure he learns how to survive. So every day afterschool, I go a little farther away so he has to track me in order to get a ride home."

She took his hand, but found herself reluctant to let it go even as he walked ahead of her to lead the way.

"What happens when Shippo doesn't find you?"

"He walks."

"Aren't you ever worried about him wandering the streets of Denver on his own? He is just a child." There was no way she wouldn't be worried for any child on his own, and the thought of having him visit her in the hospital for having any harm plagued her for a moment.

Inuyasha raised an eyebrow at her, but opened the door for her anyways to the cafe. "If he can't track, then he should at least learn how to protect himself. But you shouldn't be worried about that either. I've taught him enough about defense that he doesn't mind walking on days he can't find me. Go ahead and order first, I'll pay."

After they had both ordered and taken seats near the window, Kagome took it upon herself to ask the question that been gnawing at her for the past hour, "How did you end up with a full-blooded kitsune child, and your older brother end up adopting a human girl?" It came out more like word vomit than an actual question, and she blushed at how strangled it sounded to her own ears.

"I knew it was coming." He shook as head, looking down, so she couldn't exactly tell if he was angered or not.

"You don't have to answer if you don't want to. I understand that family matters are private."

"It's alright." He lifted his head, making eye contact with her for a moment before looking out the glass window to his right. "Though, I can only answer for me, not Sesshoumaru, or Kane as you know him."

"Oh. Are his reasons personal?"

"Maybe. Nobody knows why he adopted Rin, that's all. I thought it was for more publicity on the company, which we did get, but he always denies it, something about how our company stands for itself on matters of appearances."

"Then what about you and Shippo?" She whispered, her hands knotting together around her cup unconsciously.

"I found Shippo sneaking out of my apartment twenty years ago." A steely look came over him entirely, and Kagome was reminded of the stoicism she found in Kane's face less than an hour ago, "He was carrying a pillow case full of pricey things and food over his shoulder. I tackled him to the ground and gave his punk ass the beating of a lifetime, but he never cried or yelled to go back to his parents. So I took him to the police to track the lazy bastards down and they informed me that he had escaped from his foster home a month before. Shippo's parents were murdered a few years before then, and he now belonged to the system."

Little by little throughout his story, Kagome's expression changed, and now she looked horribly pained with the details, gasping in shock when she heard how Shippo's parents had died.

Inuyasha looked back at her at the sound, and crossed his arms authoritatively. "Would you relax? I'm not done yet."

"Right. I'm sorry." Releasing on hand from the cup, she gestured for him to continue.

"Well, I couldn't let him keep doing this shit. Especially if he was living with foster parents who didn't care what he did. So I adopted him and since then, I've been setting him straight. Kid's at least decent now. Sesshoumaru couldn't stand even the sight of him for a few years."

"I'm glad you took him in. He obviously needed help, and you really seem to care about raising him."

A light blush skittered over his cheekbones, partially hidden when he brought the cup to his lips to take another swig. After a sip, he paused, visibly scrunching his nose to pick up the scents around him.

"Watch it, boy. One step further and I'll kick your ass for scaring her."

There was no reaction from Kagome this time as Shippo materialized on Inuyasha's back, his head looking over from above the shoulder to look straight at Kagome.

"Awww, you always take away my fun… What is she doing here anyways?" Shippo asked, moving to the chair next to his father and sniffing the cup in his hands gingerly.

A growl escaped Inuyasha's lips, adding a menacing tone as he almost barked at Shippo, "That's two. Last chance to save yourself."

Kagome felt the tension instantly rise, and tried to alleviate it by offering her hand to the boy and smiling as sweetly as she could when he took it. "It's nice to see you again, Shippo. I just came with your father to pick you up. I hope you don't mind."

"Nope. I don't care. Does this mean that you are dating my dad now?"

"Three." The word was barely muttered, and next thing Kagome knew, Shippo was sprawled on the floor rubbing his cheek while Inuyasha calmly got up and walked her out of the coffee shop, her elbow trapped around his arm.

"What happened back there? Did you hit Shippo?" She craned her head back in time to see the boy pick himself up and start running after them.

"I warned him. Let's get you home before he opens up his yap again."

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><p>Editing may be needed for the second half of this chapter, so if you see any little mistakes that bother you, feel free to leave me an angry review! I hope this makes up for lost time, and I will get to work on the next chapter of this and <em>Changes<em>. Thanks for reading.

Please click the little review button!


	7. Information

Hello all! I've been writing on and off for a while, and I'm sorry it's taken so long. At least I have something done, and am a good way through the next chapter, so please be patient with me. Anyways, read on!

Enjoy.

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><p><span><strong>Chapter 7: <strong>

Kane walked calmly down the professional office hallway, ornately decorated and with enough of a demonic aura permeating the surroundings to make his own flare protectively around him. He reached the office he was looking for and swiftly opened the door, ignoring the secretary trying to tell him that her boss was in an important meeting.

The thin demon in a striking business suit barely even looked up from the person sitting across the desk from him to look at Sesshoumaru before he quickly signaled the other to leave. The tension in the room was palpable and every move was made cautiously to not stir any anger and cause a fight that might end 45 stories below. So the presence initially hidden behind the chair, familiar to Sesshoumaru, ignored him entirely as he passed by to exit the door on the far end of the room. Silence engulfed the area, as both men assessed the possible danger of the other.

"Vora."

"Sesshoumaru… To what do I owe this intrusion of my workspace?"

Simply turning his head a small degree to the left and looking down, the small toad secretary came in the door on time and stopped right where Sesshoumaru's eyes were. In the little secretary's arms was a large jar with a green snake attacking the sides of the jar viciously. Sesshoumaru took the jar from Jaken and walked over to the desk, placing it down in the middle, where the snake began to calm down until it no longer moved.

"This belongs to you, does it not?" He said quietly.

Vora stared at it for a moment, the desperate calculation evident in his eyes before he answered in his thick hispanic accent, "It could belong to anyone that works or has worked for me… Where did you find it?"

"A spiritualist purged it from my ward. Now I demand a willing explanation, or I may have to tear it from your throat before the dust pours out of your veins." The calm demeanor never left his expression, and the stoic voice added more to the severity of the threat than Vora would have thought possible.

The older demon cleared his throat before he began, clearly buying time to finish his thoughts. "I can assure you, Sesshoumaru, that neither I, nor anyone else under my command pose any threat to your ward. This," He tapped the glass lightly, getting no reaction from the animal inside, "is most likely the work of a hired demon that was once under my orders. I am also not foolish enough to harm children anymore."

They stared at each other a moment longer, the tension in the room rising every second until Sesshoumaru turned around suddenly, stopping just shy of the door and calling out to his assistant.

"Yes, my lord?" Jaken croaked.

"We're done here."

Vora got up from his chair, the sound stopping the other demon from exiting the room. "I expect this encounter has not changed the upcoming fight. Much money has already been spent and I will not allow Hiten to be disqualified from something my company is clean of."

Not another word was spoken and Sesshoumaru left the room, leaving Vora to relax and page in his secretary.

"Que paso?" She asked what happened in their native tongue, hoping even though Sesshoumaru would be in range, the language change would throw him off.

"Alguien esta provocando a los perros…" *

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><p>This check-up was more difficult for Inuyasha to sit through, as before the poison in his system kept his body from reacting to the delicate feminine touch, and this time he was hyperaware of every single area her fingers covered. It was a little rude to stare constantly at the ceiling instead of talk to her, but there was no other way of diverting his mind from her touch. Although the burn right before the soft sensation of her skin on his did help control his urges a bit.<p>

"Anywhere else?" She asked quietly.

"Nope." He said, quickly bending down to grab his jeans and jump into them before she could say another word.

Kagome nodded, putting away her scalpel and tossing her gloves away.

"Oh, right. Here's something for you." He pulled some tickets and VIP passes out of his pockets and handed them to her. "I don't think you will like this, but Kane insisted you come this weekend as a thank you for helping Rin."

"Wow, umm… Thank you, but I can't accept this. I don't even watch the demon fights, and I'm sure you know someone who will make better use of them." Her efforts to return them went unnoticed, and after a few awkward hand grasps, he put them in her lab coat pocket and crossed his arms.

"That's why we're giving you two. Take a friend. Then you can brag about how you personally know the owner of the arena and some fighters."

Opening the door out of the room, she led the way back to her office so they could discuss a moment longer. "Does that mean you'll be fighting?"

"Nope. I'll be kicking ass." Instead of the smirk she was expecting, his face remained serious.

"Really? That confident? Have you battled against your opponent before?" She taunted, raising an eyebrow.

"Not him personally, but his brother a month back…" Inuyasha got quiet at the end of the sentence, but before Kagome could get a closer look at his expression, he lit up and opened the door for her.

They walked back to her office, where Shippo was waiting restlessly in his seat, and didn't hesitate to ask after a second, "Did you give her the tickets?"

"I did. You have to help me convince her to go." He said, gesturing his son to get up and move to his side.

The doctor rolled her eyes and reached into her other pocket, pulling out an envelope and handing it to the man that was no longer going to be her patient. "Here are some prayer sheets that you should keep away from your skin if possible. Any more little bubbles pop up, these should take care of it, but will burn you again, so be careful. They only work for ten seconds when in contact with a demonic touch, so don't think you can use that to cheat in your fight."

"Does that mean you'll come?" Shippo excitedly squealed.

"Yes, I'll go. But you have to explain the rules to me when I get there." Winking at Inuyasha for a moment while the little demon jumped around, then Kagome touched Shippo on the shoulder to make it clear she was talking to him.

A quick movement from Inuyasha immediately placed Shippo on his back and himself at the doorway in less than a moment, and looking back to make eye contact with the woman he surprised, he cockily said "See you later, then." and bolted out the door.

The poor woman was left stunned for a moment, then went to open the door to make sure he was really gone. Shiori was the only person in sight, whispering, "Can't kiss him if you don't catch him…" once she saw her boss.

"Just tell me who the next patient is."

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><p>For the next week, Kagome's attention was caught and held whenever she spotted a glimpse of Inuyasha's name or heard it on television when she went about her routine. It looked like this battle was highly anticipated, as the announcers claimed over and over that it was the "Fight of the Year." There was never a point to pay attention to the demon fights before, though Kagome knew from her best friend and company for the fight, Detective Amy S. Ango (or Sango as her friends called her), that these were the big spectacle for the demonic communities. Apparently the tickets sold out quickly and the money made from the pay-per-view would make a pretty penny for Kane Taisho and Fernando Vora, the owners of the fighters' leagues.<p>

When the day arrived, parking was crazy. Sango was tempted more than once to pull out her sirens in hopes of making it to the VIP section without just clubbing someone over the head. At the entrance of the sectioned off area was a much healthier and conscious Rin, looking a little more than bored, but very cute in an outfit similar to catholic school uniforms.

"Hey there, Rin. I don't think you remember me, but I was your doctor. I took care of that awful demon inside of you. Do you feel better?" Kagome smiled and held out her hand to the small girl.

Rin brightened up instantly, completely an opposite reaction than a stoic experience with her adoptive father would have led Kagome to expect. That small girl almost tore a ligament with the violent hand shaking she returned while talking more adorably fast than either woman would have thought possible before that moment. "Hello, Dr. Higurashi! Thank you for taking care of me, it really was scary for me to be sick that long. Well, it wasn't really scary, because I was asleep a lot, but I didn't like being sick. Anyway, Dad sent me down here to take you to the room where you will be seeing the fight, and then I go back to Dad's office so I can do homework. Let's go!"

Without letting go of her hand, Rin turned around and began walking, Leaving Kagome no choice but to follow. Not that she considered going elsewhere before the fight, but that girl had an unexpectedly strong grip!

She opened the door after walking a short distance to a spacious, comfortable viewing area. Complete with a bar to their left and various seating options, the walls were a deep red and had few but very tasteful decorations that Kagome noted from the corner of her eye had protection spells written on the sides. The VIP area apparently was prepared in case of strong attack, especially on the large glass panel protecting the viewer from the arena.

"Doctor!" Shippo called from the couch, "You came!"

"Of course. I said I would come."

That's when Rin finally let go of her arm, and gave a respectful bow to her and her friend, who had been silent and watchful since they stepped into the building. "It's been an honor to see you, Dr. Higurashi and give you my thanks. I will now take my leave since I have my own business to attend to." Even with the very different vocabulary used and a now slower speech pattern, Rin still gave a smile and skipped out of the room, acting in the littlest details more appropriate to her age.

Before they could even ask why Rin couldn't stay, Shippo intuitively explained, "She has to go because Kane won't let her watch the fights. They're too violent for her, but he hasn't left her alone since she got sick, so she has been following him to work."

The girls took seats next to him on the couch and looked at the beautiful green meadow with large boulders making up the arena, easily twice the size of a human football field. There was a glass border around it, with the VIP boxes along the bottom and convention seating up from there. It really was impressive in size along with the security details considering it was for demon fighting.

"So, Shippo, mind explaining the basics for Sango and me?

"Winner is the last one standing."

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><p>Pretty short and basic chapter, next one will hopefully be more exciting. I will update at least twice this summer, but I will do my best to work hard on this. So be patient with me. :)<p>

Leave me a review!


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